Recognized for positive impact in local communities and as a leading employer

Issy-les-Moulineaux, February 19 – Sodexo has been ranked, for the seventh consecutive year, as the best-performing company for Social, Environmental and Economic Performance in the benchmark RobecoSAM ‘Sustainability Yearbook 2014’ as Sector Leader and Gold Class.

Despite changes in methodology that make inclusion even more difficult, Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services, has again topped its industry and is the only company in the sector named Gold Class. Sodexo earned the highest overall score in its peer group, 80 percent (compared to a sector average of 48).

Sodexo earned a perfect (100) score for the positive local impact of its business operations around the world.

“We are very proud to again be leading our business sector for our efforts and achievements to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the cities, regions and countries where we operate” said Damien Verdier, Group Chief Marketing and Strategic Planning Officer.

Sodexo also earned the highest score in its industry in the social pillar - particularly impressive in light the large number of employees (nearly 428,000) and the decentralized nature of its business (33,300 client sites in 80 countries).

“We are both pleased and humbled that Sodexo continues to be at the forefront of what it means to be a socially responsible and diverse company because we know that human resources are a leading factor driving competition now and in the future” said Elisabeth Carpentier, Group Chief Human Resources Officer. “By developing policies focused on women and men at all levels of the organization, companies will become stronger, and quality of life will not be an outcome of their success but a fundamental component of it.”

Methodology
This yearbook is published by RobecoSAM (http://www.robecosam.com), a leading asset management company focusing on sustainability investing. This year more than 2,000 companies were considered for inclusion in the yearbook, using up to 120 financial, environmental, social and economic indicators to evaluate companies in 59 industries. The RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook is regarded as the world's most comprehensive publication on corporate sustainability performance, in part due to continually raising the bar for inclusion.
For more information on RobecoSAM’s Sustainability Yearbook visit: http://yearbook.robecosam.com/

More about Sodexo and corporate responsibility
Sodexo has consistently been a leader, topping the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for nine consecutive years, ranking #1 on the 2013 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list and named one of Fortune Magazine’s ‘Most Admired’ companies in the Diversified Outsourcing Services sector.
Sodexo has been credited for transparency and reporting. The company shares information on its sustainability performance, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, and our reporting is externally audited.
For more information on corporate responsibility: http://www.sodexo.com/en/corporate-responsibility/corporate-responsibility-home.aspx

About Sodexo
Founded in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 80 countries, Sodexo serves 75 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over more than 45 years of experience: from reception, maintenance and cleaning, to foodservices and facilities and equipment management; from Meal Pass, Gift Pass and Mobility Pass benefits for employees to in-home assistance and concierge services. Sodexo’s success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 428,000 employees throughout the world.